Art supplies can look so messy and cluttery so fast, especially when the kids are in charge of putting them away. But I have found that if we sort/store them by COLOR, kids are much more likely to put them back after they are finished with them. Plus, the supplies look so colorful and lovely when they are organized this way! If art supplies are a part of your life, they might as well look great, right?
The colored paper on the top shelf is sorted by color into 5 rainbow-colored folders I bought at Staples (the folders are essential because otherwise the papers will not stay in the rack). The mesh incline file sorter is also a Staples find for $12.
The magazine holders on the second shelf were a Goodwill find for about $3 each. One magazine holder holds art books (like all of those “How to Draw” books). The other magazine holder holds specialty art supplies and papers, like Nathan’s stamp set and stickers.
The little chalkboard labels came from Michaels for about 50 cents each. (Tip: Don’t skimp on labels! Kids need stuff labeled so they know where to put things BACK when they are done!)
The red box on the bottom shelf is just a shoebox lid. The little red cups are cheapo plastic cups I found in my kitchen (you can buy similar ones at the Dollar Store). I sorted all the crayons, markers and pencils by color — and I threw away all the broken crayons, pencil nubs and dried-out markers. No use in storing art supplies that aren’t in primo condition!
Finally, the corner shelving unit was a freebie from a friend who couldn’t find a need for it in her house anymore. I like how small it is, because it means there is no room for clutter to pile up on the shelves.
The whole set-up came to about $20, which is great because who wants to spend a lot of money on stuff to organize more stuff?
Happy Organizing!
